Car-docr mechanism



April 28, 1925.

F. CREMEAN CAR DOOR MECHANQSM I Filed April 28, 192:5

. y I IN VEN TOR.

%4 AT ORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 28, 1925.

fumrso STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM: F. CREMEAN, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

CAR-DOGR MECHANISM.

Application filed April 28, 1923. Serial No. 635,192.

useful Improvements in Car-Door .Mechanisms; and I do hereby declare thefollow ing to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to door mechanisms for railway cars or the likeand has among its objects to provide a simple door securingmeans whichwill be economical of cost and of sturdy construction for meeting theconditions of service in'which it may be used. A further object of thisinvention is to provide a door supporting hook having a plurality ofengaging ledges thereon and a member affixed to the door having thereona plurality of coacting engaging ledges which areso spaced as toregister with the engaging ledges ofthe hook. Another object of thisinvention is to provide for more than one position of closure for a.hook supported door, but at the same time to provide the hook andco-acting door member with a plurality of engaging ledges, more thanonepair of which will be engaged when the door is in the fully closedposition.

This arrangement of door supporting hook and co-acting door memberprovides a very substantial door securing means and insures that theeffect of long use will not impair its functioning. Furthermore, thisconstruction assures that should one supporting ledge of either the hookor door member, or both, bebroken in service, the device would not berendered inoperative. With such general objects and others in view, theinvention consists of the construction, combination and arrangement ofparts as will be herein described and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which show the preferred embodiment of theinvention, Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view ofa portionof a car of the twin hopper type provided with a door and doorsupporting mechanism of a particular form involving the presentinvention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the hopper and doormechanism as of Ohio, have invented certain new and seen in thedirection of arrow A of Figure 1. a

Figure 3 18 a fragmentary sectional View,

taken substantially in line BB of Figure 1, through the hopper side anddoor showing portions of the door mechanism.

Referring to these drawings, the side of the hopper, to which thepivoted end of the hook is shown as attached, is denoted by the numeral1, and the bottom chute plate is indicated at 2. The side plate 1 andbottom plate 2 are furnished along the outer edge of the hopper with arectangular re inforcing bar 3, which also forms a seat for the door.

A door 4, which is provided for closing the hopper opening,isfpreferably hinged to the car body by hinge members 7 and S andpintles 9; The free edge of the door 10 is accordingly arranged to swingaway from the edge of the chute plate and reinforcing bar 3 when it isdesired to discharge the contents of the car. The door A is made withinwardly extending flanged convolutions 5 and 6 along the bottom andsides adjacent to the chute and side plates of the hopper. These flangedelements reinforce the door plate and also form sealing meanscooperating with the hopper plates to prevent loss of lading.

Extending across the outer face of the door plate near the lower or freeedge of the same is a door spreader or reinforcing member 11 which maybeformed of a beam of angular section having a door contacting flange andan outwardly extending web or flange. This door spreader is secured tothe plate portion of the door by means of rivets such as at 12 passingthrough the door and the door-contacting flange of the spreader. Theouter ends of the door spreader extend beyond the edges of the door,forming door arms. These arm portions are angled as at 13, so as to lieapproximately perpendicular to the edge of the door.

Pivoted upon the outer face of the side sheet 1 at thepivot point 1A isa door supporting hook 15. A bracket 16 is arranged to overlie the shankportion of the hook and an eccentric cam 17 may be employed to hold thehook in engaged relation with the door. Rivets such as 18 may passthrough theabrackt't or through the brackets and cooperating parts, andalso through the car sides, to secure the bracket, the hook and the camin assembled relation to each other and to the car.

The bracket 16 is provided with a ledge 19 underlying the hook and sopositioned as to form a support for the hook when the latter isdisengaged .t'rom the door, thus supporting the hook in a positionsuitable for engagement with the door member when the door is pushedshut.

Qhe shank of the hook 15 is angled from the plane ot the hopper sidesheet 1 so as to overlie the reinforcing bar 3 at the edge of the hoppersheet and its pivot l l is substantially normal to the plane of theshank. The hook extends in this angled direction sutlieiently tar beyondthe hopper reinforcing bar 3 to provide clearance between the edge ofthe door and the hook for all positions or the hook or door in theopening and closing of the latter. The necessity for this clearance isaugmented by the relation of the planes of rotation of the hook and doordue to the inward slope of the hopper side sheet 1, and the fact thatthe hook, as seen in the elevational view Figure 2 occupies a planesubstantially parallel with the plane oi? the car side, andsubstantially parallel with the side edge of the door. Cases have beenencountered in practice where interference occurred between the door andthe hook when the hook, as seen in Figure 3, was arranged to swingparallel with side sheet 1. This condition is due to the re lationshipot the axes of the door hinge pintles and the edge of the door inconjuno tion with the plane of the hook. Accordingly, in the presentinvention the hook is located in the angular plane as shown in order toengage the door arm member without inducing excessive bending strains inthe latter, while at the same time providing the requisite clearancebetween the side of the hook and the edge of the door when the door isopened or closed. In some cases the outermost end of the hook may, asshown in the drawings, be made perpendicular to the door spreader 11 sothat the co-acting ledges on the hook and door spreader will have rightangled seating.

The hook 15 is provided with two supporting ledges and 21 extendingdownwardly from the shank. These ledges are arranged one in advance ofthe other and each is provided with a sloping approach,

surface. The end of the door spreader 11 is provided with ahook-engaging member 22 having formed thereon two hook-engagingledges23and 2 1-. These are in the same spaced relation as the hookledges 20 and 21 and are arranged for mutual engagement therewith. Themember 22 is preferably formed as a casting adapted to be riveted to theback of the web of the door spreader, and the hook 15 is arranged toswing entirely above the door spreader so as to engage the ledges 23 and24L which extend upwardly from the spreader toward the hook.

The door, when open, may be swung about its hinge pintles until theledge 21 of hook 15 has overridden and engaged ledge 23 of the doorspreader member 22, whereupon the door will be retained in a partiallyclosed position. The door may then be further closed, either by hand orby power, until the ledge 21 of the book 15 has overridden ledge 24L ofthe door spreader member and the ledge 20 has overriden ledge 23, whenboth ledges ot' the hook will drop into engagement with the respectivelycorresponding lEdges of the door spreader member and the door will beheld and supported in fully closed position by the action of both pairsof ledges.

The arrangement described provides a simple and effective doorsupporting mechanism, wherein the maximum strength and length of serviceare obtained with a minimum outlay of material.

Having thus described an embodiment of the invention, what is claimedis:

1. A car device including in combination with a hinged car door, areinforcing bar attached to the outer surface of said door, said barhaving secured thereto a plurality of hook engaging ledges, a hookpivoted upon the side of the ear provided with a plurality of doorengaging ledges, said ledges being located in the same spaced relationas the ledges on the doorreint'orcing bar.

2. A door mechanism for railway cars including a door hinged to the carbody and having an arm extending beyond an edge of the door, the saidarm being provided with a plurality of hook-engaging surfaces, and ahook pivoted upon the car body, said hook being provided with aplurality of door-engaging ledges, at least one or" which will en gageone of the hook-engaging surfaces on the door arm when the door is in-apartially closed position, all of the said ledges of the hook beingarranged to engage respectively with all of the said hook engagingsurfaces on the door arm when the door is fully closed.

3. A door mechanism for railway cars including in combination with adoor hinged upon the car body and a hook pivoted upon the car body andarranged to supportingly engage the said door, two supporting ledgesupon the hook arranged to engage two coacting surfaces upon the doorwhen the door is in fully closed position.

4. 'A door mechanism for railway cars including in combination with adoor hinged upon the car body and a hook pivoted upon the car body andarranged to supportingly Ill) engage the said door, a plurality ofhookengaging surfaces upon the door and a similar number ofdoor-engaging ledges upon the hook arranged for progressive and additiveengagement with each other as the door is moved from partly closed tofully closed position.

5. A door mechanism for railway cars including a door pivoted upon thecar body and provided near its free end with an arm extending beyond thelimits of the door and having two hook-engaging surfaces formed upon thearm, and a hook pivoted upon the car body and provided with twosupporting ledges arrangedto co-act with the said surfaces on the doorarm, one ledge of the hook being arranged to engage one surface of thedoor arm when door is in partially closed position, and both ledges ofhook being arranged to engage both surfaces of the door 7 arm when thesaid door is in fully closed position.

6. A car door device including in combination with a hinged car doorprovided with a plurality of surfaces adapted for the support of thedoor and arranged one in advance of another, a member pivoted to the carbody provided with a plurality of spaced supporting ledges arranged formutual engagement with the said supporting'surfaces of the door.

7. A car door device including in combination with a hinged car door,a'member pivoted upon the car body and arranged to support thedoor, thesaid member having two door-supporting ledges, one arranged in advanceofthe other, the door being provided with two seats arranged for mutualengagement with said ledges when the door is fully closed, said ledgesand seats being also related in such manner that one of said ledges onlymay engage with one only of the said seats to hold the door in a partlyclosed position.

8. A car door mechanism for railway cars including a hinged car door, adoor arm formed from an angular section and having a portion extendingoutwardly from the surface of the door and beyond the edge there- 7 of,the said arm being provided with a plurality of hook-engaging surfacesextending upwardly from the outstanding portion of the door arm, and ahook pivoted upon the car body'and arranged to swing into engagementwith either or both of said up wardly extending hook-engaging surfacesof the door arm.

9.- A door mechanism for railway cars including a door hinged upon thecar body, a hook pivoted upon the car side and arranged to swing intosupporting engagement with the door, the axis of the hook pivot beingarranged at an angle to the plane of the door, and the hook beingarranged to swing in a plane forming an acute angle with the plane ofthe car side.

10. A railway car having a material discharge opening therein,stilfening means formed upon a face of the car adjacent said opening, adoor adapted normally to close said opening, said door being arranged tolie, when closed, with one edge thereof adjacent said stiifening means,and a door supporting member pivoted upon the car body and overlyingsaid stiffening means, said door supporting member being arranged toswing in a plane at an acute angle with the said stiffening means intosupporting engagement with a portion of the door formed for cooperationtherewith.

11. A railway car having a material discharge opening therein adjacent aside of the car, a door adapted normally to close said opening, saiddoor being arranged to lie, when closed, with one edge adjacent andsubstantially parallel with the said side of the car, a reinforcingmeans formed upon the outer side of the car near the edge of the door,and a door supporting hook pivoted upon the car side rearwardly of'thesaid reinforcing means, the said hook being arranged outwardly of and tooverlie the said reinforcing means and being adapted to swing in a planeat an acute angle when the said 'side of the car and with the plane of.

the door when the latter is in closed position. In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature.

WILLIAM F. GREMEAN.

